Police Scotland held their annual Special Constabulary conference earlier this year at the force’s picturesque headquarters, Tulliallan Castle where volunteer police officers from across Scotland gather to share best practices and learn new skills

In this exclusive PolicingTV video, Bernard Rix and Dr Iain Britton introduce a number of insights from the conference, including from:

• Police Scotland Chief Constable, Jo Farrell;
• Inspector Norman Towler, of the force’s Volunteer Coordination Unit;
• Guest speakers Professor Ross Wolf, based in Orange County, Florida, USA
• And Dr Cheah Phaik Kin, volunteer reserve officer in Malaysia,
• and from a number of Police Scotland Special Constables. 

If you’re considering becoming a police volunteer or Special Constable, whether in Scotland or elsewhere, do watch!

The participants discuss their motivations for joining the special constabulary and the benefits of volunteering and highlight the importance of conferences like this in bringing people from diverse backgrounds together to share experiences and improve themselves. The conversations emphasize the rewarding nature of being a special constable and the impact they can have on their communities.

Takeaways

• The Police Scotland Special Constabulary Conference provides an opportunity for volunteer police officers to share best practices and learn new skills
• International experts from the United States and Malaysia contribute to the conference, highlighting the global nature of volunteer policing.
• Participants discuss their motivations for joining the special constabulary, including a desire to give back to the community and a passion for policing.
• Conferences like this bring people from diverse backgrounds together, allowing them to share experiences and improve themselves.
• Being a special constable is a rewarding career that offers the chance to make a positive impact on the community.

Sound Bites

• “Comparing, contrasting, volunteering, special constabulary, they call it reserve in Florida”
• “Certainly this weekend there’s been lots of hands-on training experience which, you know, this is a safe environment to do it, get the feedback so that you’re more prepared when you’re going out to do your duties.”

Chapters
00:00.  Introduction and Overview of the Conference
02:52.  Motivations for Joining the Special Constabulary
04:15.  Learning and Sharing Experiences at the Conference
09:05.  Empowering the Special Constabulary for a Safer Scotland

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